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About the Role

Innovate UK is seeking an Acting Head of Economics and Insight to lead the Economics & Insights function within the Strategy Directorate. This high-profile role provides evidence, analysis, and thought leadership to underpin strategic decision-making, shape understanding of the innovation ecosystem, and translate insight into practical action.

Responsibilities

Lead strategic insight and analysis.
Provide authoritative analytical advice to support strategic decision-making.
Shape understanding of the innovation ecosystem, including startups, scaleups, investors, and the wider business environment.
Identify and commission research to answer strategic questions relating to innovation support, business growth, impact, and policy.
Lead the delivery of strategic and cross-cutting analytical projects that inform organizational priorities and strategy implementation.
Ensure evidence and insight are effectively synthesized and communicated to senior leaders.
Support strategy implementation by ensuring the organization's strategy is informed by a deep understanding of innovative and high-growth businesses.
Contribute analytical leadership to major strategic initiatives, including the development of frameworks, assessment approaches, and programme design.
Work collaboratively across Strategy and Delivery teams to embed evidence-led decision-making throughout the organisation.
Drive thought leadership on innovation by leading Innovate UK's contribution to debate and understanding of innovation and innovation support.
Oversee the production of high-quality thought leadership outputs, publications, and insight products.
Develop and maintain a strong external evidence base through commissioned research, partnerships, and stakeholder engagement.
Monitor emerging trends in innovation, business growth, technology, and international practice, identifying implications for Innovate UK and UKRI.
Build strategic partnerships and influence policy by maintaining trusted relationships with government departments, UKRI colleagues, academics, and external stakeholders.
Ensure Innovate UK's evidence and experience contribute effectively to wider innovation policy discussions.
Collaborate across UKRI to develop a shared intelligence picture and identify insights that cut across organisational boundaries.
Represent Innovate UK externally as a credible and influential voice on innovation and economic growth.
Lead and develop the Economics & Insights team, inspiring and developing a multidisciplinary team of researchers and analysts.
Build analytical capability and ensure the team continues to provide high-quality, timely, and influential insight.
Foster strong matrix working across Strategy and the wider organisation.
Support the development of new approaches to strategic insight, including increased use of AI-enabled analytical tools and methods.
Contribute to the growth of analytical capability across Innovate UK as a whole.
Undertake any other duties across the wider directorate, commensurate with the Band and level of responsibility.

Requirements

Excellent understanding of the innovation ecosystem, including startups, scaleups, investors, and innovation support mechanisms.
Strong understanding of innovation, business growth, industrial strategy, economic development, or related policy areas.
Sound understanding of IUK, its new strategic direction, and the evidence needs required over the coming year.
Significant experience of working within economics, analytical, research, or insight functions within government, the public sector, academia, consultancy, or a related environment.
Experience using evidence and analysis to influence senior decision-makers and shape organisational strategy.
Experience commissioning, overseeing, and assuring complex analytical or research programmes.
Excellent interpersonal skills to lead a team through organisational change.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to distil complex analysis into clear and compelling messages.
Compatibility with and capability against Core Competencies such as: Thinking and Problem Solving, Stakeholder management, Communication skills, Influencing, Self-awareness/self-management, Strategic awareness, Working with others, Project management.
Requirement to travel, mostly national, with flexibility.
Need to work in the Swindon office once a week.
May have four to six nights away from home per month on average to attend conferences and events.
Successful applicants will undergo a comprehensive pre-employment check, including security screening/vetting and an extreme organisations affiliation check.

Skills

Economics
Insight
Analysis
Thought leadership
Strategic decision-making
Innovation ecosystem understanding
Business growth
Industrial strategy
Economic development
Policy engagement
Research commissioning
Stakeholder engagement
Team leadership
Communication
Influencing
Project management
AI-enabled analytical tools

Location

UKRI sites: Swindon, London, Harwell, Daresbury, Keyworth, Cambridge, Edinburgh

Work Type

Hybrid working
Fixed Term (Until 6th September 2027)
Full-time

Experience Level

Senior level

Salary/Compensations

£70,752 gross per annum

Benefits

30 days’ annual leave
10.5 public and privilege days
Flexible working hours
Exceptional defined benefit pension scheme
Access to a variety of support networks and discount schemes

About the Company

Innovate UK is a partner organisation within UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
Innovate UK works with businesses and stakeholders across every nation and region of the UK.
UKRI is committed to supporting research in areas that include animal health, agriculture and food security, and bioscience for health.

Equal Opportunity

Innovate UK is a diverse workforce of people. We believe that encouraging these differences and drawing the best from them will build a productive environment in which everyone feels valued, where talents are fully utilised and in which organisational goals are met.
Underpinning this is a belief that it is a fundamental right for everyone to be treated equally, with fairness, respect and dignity.
We encourage applications from all those who meet the criteria set-out in our role profiles.
We are an equal opportunities employer, committed to employing any person who meets the criteria for our roles.
If you have a disability, heath condition or specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia then you may be entitled to support with undertaking assessment exercises.
Reasonable adjustments will be reviewed and support provided in confidence.